Month: January 2012

Affordable Soil Testing for Lawn and Garden

I came across this article…NPK Soil Test Kits – Soil Forum and could not believe the dialogue on the forum. $80.000 – $100.00 for a soil pH test | That is incredibly high for one test. At Midwest Laboratories the price is $6.00 for a soil pH The Lawn and Garden Test offered at Midwest

Nebraska Agri-Business Expo 2012

Next week is the Nebraksa Agri-Business Expo (See Online Program) This show brings the best people in agriculture together from the State of Nebraska and Eastern Iowa. It is always great to walk around and see all the different vendors. This year the weather will be fantastic and their is a huge excitement about agriculture

National Radon Action Month

January is National Radon Action Month. Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas that is released in rock, soil, and water from the natural decay of uranium. It seeps into buildings, building up in your indoor air. You can’t see, smell, or taste radon, but it could be present at a dangerous level in your home.

Do you love earthworms?

Sometimes this little slimy critter is taken for granted. Often times we see them during heavy rains or when we are digging up our soil to plant a tree or our garden. Maybe we should we respect these critters a little more and applaud them for the work that they do. They areate our soil

Students turn food scraps into compost

The students at St. Paul Catholic School in Cleveland, Ohio are taking composting to a new level. I really like this article, “Students at S. Paul turn food scraps into soil” by Colette M. Jenkins and I wanted to highlight some of the key points. The Rev. Ralph Thomas stated, “…It is our job to

Warm winter and trees budding

The warmer-than-normal winter has some people wondering if trees might bud prematurely and then be damaged by colder temperatures. According to the article, “Warm weather can put trees in a bind” all dediduous trees require a “chilling period” before they “break bud” This chilling period will keep trees in dormancy until temperatures consistently reach warmer

Are you drinking wastewater

I came across this article, “Report: Wastewater preferable to wasting water” Many communities reuse wastewater for irrigation and industrial purposes. Some — notably Cloudcroft, N.M., and California’s Orange County — have treatment facilities to reuse it as drinking water. The article points to water reuse as a viable option to working with water scarcity. Many

Growers dealing with unusual winter

Up until this week, most of the country was experiencing little snow and cooler temperatures but not necessarily very cold temperatures. Here is a quick look at how one farmer is dealing with the unusual temperatures. I am sure by the time we reach March, we will experience some colder temperatures and more precipitation, especially

Fungicide found in Orange Juice

The fungicide at issue is carbendazim – a fugicide which controls plant disease. It is often referred to as one of the “filthy four” pesticides. Source pan-uk.org It is illegal to use this fungicide in the United States. 35 parts per billion carbendazim had been found in samples of orange juice products in the United

Winter Soil Sampling & Soil Testing

This winter has been quite an unusual one with above average temperatures and an extreme lack of snow. Because of these unusual conditions, we are seeing an increase in orders for soil sampling supplies and soil analysis. Typically, soil sample volumes are at their lowest during the colder months, with samples only being received from